The Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) has reinstated Shakeel Ahmed, a customs officer from Islamabad International Airport (IIAP), who had been suspended for failing to detect narcotics hidden in a flour mixing machine. The drugs were later uncovered by the Anti-Narcotics Force (ANF) during a joint inspection of an imported shipment.

Ahmed faced disciplinary action for “Inefficiency, Misconduct, and Corruption” as he had been responsible for inspecting the shipment but overlooked critical documents, such as the packing list, and failed to perform a thorough examination. This negligence allowed the shipment to bypass proper scrutiny, though it was eventually flagged by the scanning team at GHA, leading to the recovery of the narcotics.

During hearings, Ahmed argued that both he and the ANF had initially failed to detect the narcotics and that only part of the consignment was inspected. Despite his defense, the FBR found his actions negligent and imposed a minor penalty, reducing his pay by three levels for three years without cumulative effect. His suspension period was treated as leave, and he has been reinstated into government service.